July 2019 – Legislator Kennedy honored Commack High School senior, Danielle Ranucci, at the Suffolk County Legislature General Meeting for being awarded the prestigious Hank Logeman/News 12 High School JournalismAward. This award is given to the student who does the most to promote high school journalism on Long Island.
An avid writer, Danielle’s storytelling ability and natural curiosity about people led her to journalism. She attended the Stony Brook University Robert W. Greene Summer Institute for High School Journalism, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association Summer Journalism Workshop.
Danielle credits her success to the experience she gained through leading the school newspaper, The Courant, and the school’s literary magazine, Etchings.
Christina Semple, adviser of The Courant since 2001, shared that Danielle is the second Commack High School student to ever win this award. The publication has been honored with over 400 awards for writing, art and design since 2001. "Danielle has covered a variety of stories throughout her time on the newspaper staff. She never backs down from a challenge in reporting. It has been a pleasure to watch her skills grow and flourish over these past four years," said Semple.
Danielle will be attending Princeton University in the fall as an English/Comparative Literature major with a certificate in Creative Writing.
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